Hydraulic Reservoir

[LindaL]

Hello. I would like to know where the hydraulic reservoir location is for my 2018 Keystone Cougar 27RLS. I'm new to this and I cannot seem to find it. Thank you.

[sourdough]

Hydraulic reservoir for what? I believe your 27RLS has cable slides and electric brakes.

[LindaL]

I was told by the dealer that I need to check the hydraulic reservoir for the front legs on the 5th wheel.

[sourdough]

I've not seen a Cougar with hydraulic jacks. The specs for that unit says electric 4 point leveling is optional which does not require hydraulic fluid or a reservoir. Look above that landing gear, is there a motor on top of it? Although I've not seen a Cougar with hydraulic levelers I have seen/met many people at an RV dealership that didn't know what they were talking about.

[LindaL]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I've not seen a Cougar with hydraulic jacks. The specs for that unit says electric 4 point leveling is optional which does not require hydraulic fluid or a reservoir. Look above that landing gear, is there a motor on top of it? Although I've not seen a Cougar with hydraulic levelers I have seen/met many people at an RV dealership that didn't know what they were talking about.

Thank you. You know I got to thinking about it last night and felt so dumb after I realized the customer service guy at Cougar had no idea what he was talking about. I also realized that my jacks are not hydraulic and require no fluid. I have a motor
above the legs. I was made a widow very unexpectedly a year ago and the responsibility of maintenance on my 5th wheel is important to me. It seems I may need a new motor for the legs because it sounds very slow to me. It raises the legs and gooseneck but it is slow. I don't
know for sure and that's why I called Cougar. Learned my lesson. Thank you for your help and insight.

[chuckster57]

First of all, Sorry for your loss. If it seems slow its because the jacks are geared for torque not speed. they move a lot of weight not designed to be fast.

[LindaL]

Thank you. I am learning a lot. My husband understood all this and I never had to think about it. I want to make him proud.

[GlasNav]

Originally Posted by LindaL

Thank you. You know I got to thinking about it last night and felt so dumb after I realized the customer service guy at Cougar had no idea what he was talking about. I also realized that my jacks are not hydraulic and require no fluid. I have a motor
above the legs. I was made a widow very unexpectedly a year ago and the responsibility of maintenance on my 5th wheel is important to me. It seems I may need a new motor for the legs because it sounds very slow to me. It raises the legs and gooseneck but it is slow. I don't
know for sure and that's why I called Cougar. Learned my lesson. Thank you for your help and insight.

"IF" the big if, it operates with a threaded shaft, it might only require some lubrication.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by LindaL

Thank you. I am learning a lot. My husband understood all this and I never had to think about it. I want to make him proud.

https://images.etrailer.com/static/i...168323_800.jpg

I am sorry for your loss. Jumping head first into operation and maintenance of an RV without previous knowledge can be a challenge and frustrating but hopefully it will just be a little at a time. You can come to this site and ask any questions you want or do searches, hopefully before a dire situation arises, and learn a lot. If that situation does arise someone on the forum will be able to assist.

The link above is from the Lippert instructions (courtesy of etrailer) for the Ground Control 3.0 which you probably have. Not a lot of mtce. to do on them (I have the same). If you are in AZ you won't have salt eating them up so mtce. will probably be minimal. They further state that there is no set intervals for lubing the gears, only "as needed". You can use a spray silicone and it mentions lithium grease but I would not use that because it attracts and holds dirt.

As far as slow; my jacks are VERY slow - it's the nature of the beast. You don't want one or more jacks binding, grinding, jerking etc. If they are all operating in the same fashion with the same noise you are probably OK. I assume it has auto level; just put it in auto level and walk around as it rotates from jack to jack and watch/listen to each jack to make sure each one sounds and operates like all the rest. I bet yours are OK.

[LindaL]

Originally Posted by GlasNav

"IF" the big if, it operates with a threaded shaft, it might only require some lubrication.

Thank you so much for your reply. I will take your advise and continue with my investigation. I need to get all this knowledge under my belt.

[LindaL]

Originally Posted by sourdough

https://images.etrailer.com/static/i...168323_800.jpg

I am sorry for your loss. Jumping head first into operation and maintenance of an RV without previous knowledge can be a challenge and frustrating but hopefully it will just be a little at a time. You can come to this site and ask any questions you want or do searches, hopefully before a dire situation arises, and learn a lot. If that situation does arise someone on the forum will be able to assist.

The link above is from the Lippert instructions (courtesy of etrailer) for the Ground Control 3.0 which you probably have. Not a lot of mtce. to do on them (I have the same). If you are in AZ you won't have salt eating them up so mtce. will probably be minimal. They further state that there is no set intervals for lubing the gears, only "as needed". You can use a spray silicone and it mentions lithium grease but I would not use that because it attracts and holds dirt.

As far as slow; my jacks are VERY slow - it's the nature of the beast. You don't want one or more jacks binding, grinding, jerking etc. If they are all operating in the same fashion with the same noise you are probably OK. I assume it has auto level; just put it in auto level and walk around as it rotates from jack to jack and watch/listen to each jack to make sure each one sounds and operates like all the rest. I bet yours are OK.

Thank you for this information. I remember my husband saying there wasn't a lot of maintenance for these legs. I will figure out how to spray the gears with silicone. It's good to know that I am not the only one that experiences slow lift/lowering. Wow. I am glad I joined this group. Everyone has been so helpful and informative.

[Camping family]

This is a great group. Always here to help out when we can. Ask anytime and someone will have an answer. Sorry for your loss it’s great you are continuing on. Enjoy

[LadyCPA]

I am so very sorry for your loss. You are a strong person to carry on with the RV and maintenance. This is a great group, and they enjoy providing help to those of us who need it. Feel free to ask all questions, the answers usually help the rest of us.

[bobbecky]

This is a link to the manual: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...T&opi=89978449

I do not see any mention of needing any lubrication anywhere on this system.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by LindaL

Thank you. You know I got to thinking about it last night and felt so dumb after I realized the customer service guy at Cougar had no idea what he was talking about. I also realized that my jacks are not hydraulic and require no fluid. I have a motor
above the legs. I was made a widow very unexpectedly a year ago and the responsibility of maintenance on my 5th wheel is important to me. It seems I may need a new motor for the legs because it sounds very slow to me. It raises the legs and gooseneck but it is slow. I don't
know for sure and that's why I called Cougar. Learned my lesson. Thank you for your help and insight.

Sorry for your loss as well. Try to keep the good memories forward in your mind and make new memories to with them.

As for the dealership misinformation, don't beat yourself up over it. The dealer's first misgivings (some would argue that they are lies), starting when you ask if your truck is up to the task. Their typical reply, "You can pull any trailer on the lot." Don't hesitate to ask questions here. You will not be criticized, or chastised for it. Folks here just want to help by sharing their experiences and knowledge.

[rlh1957]

Originally Posted by LindaL

Thank you. You know I got to thinking about it last night and felt so dumb after I realized the customer service guy at Cougar had no idea what he was talking about. I also realized that my jacks are not hydraulic and require no fluid. I have a motor
above the legs. I was made a widow very unexpectedly a year ago and the responsibility of maintenance on my 5th wheel is important to me. It seems I may need a new motor for the legs because it sounds very slow to me. It raises the legs and gooseneck but it is slow. I don't
know for sure and that's why I called Cougar. Learned my lesson. Thank you for your help and insight.

Yep you learned a valuable lesson… never depend on what dealer or tech tells as gospel truth.
Always check with your forum support here.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by rlh1957

Yep you learned a valuable lesson… never depend on what dealer or tech tells as gospel truth.
Always check with your forum support here.

But what if your forum support includes a tech? How

[Gamma]

Is your RV plugged in to shore power or truck and batteries full? Low batteries can cause these motors to slow but they are not speed demons to begin with. Keep in mind if plugged into your truck and your truck is fairly new (2016 + depending on brand), the truck may not provide 12 volts to the trailer just by plugging it in. If the truck is already running you may need to step on the brake for the trailer plug to become active. If plugged in and the truck is not running just starting it should enable the hitch power. Some of these techniques vary by the brand of truck. This forum is a great place to ask questions and you will usually find a solution here.